I was considering graphic design as a field and therefore almost bought a mac. Then I chose psychology and realized I don't need one _________________Perfection is a lifelong pursuit requiring sacrifice. The only way to get it quicker is to sacrifice the most.

Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 6:12 pm

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Salaris VornModerator

Joined: 02 Feb 2008Posts: 2373Location: New York, USA

The new Sony came in the mail today and it is working A-ok thus far! I'm super happy with it, looks great and runs very smooth.

Thank you Mara and everyone else for giving me such great feedback!_________________

Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 12:37 pm

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AutobonMaster

Joined: 17 Apr 2008Posts: 751

Queen Padmè Skywalker wrote:

Am I the only Mac person on these forums? *ponders*

I dont hate Mac's, but they are extremely limited in what they can do. If you do design/video work you should be ok, but computer science, web, programming, etc, your going to need a PC. If you dont believe me, then take some computer science courses. Everyone with a Mac is running a dual boot Windows.

Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 12:56 pm

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Mara Jade SkywalkerAdministrator

Joined: 15 Feb 2008Posts: 6359Location: Beyond Shadows

Autobon's alive! And yes, you're completely right. The teachers always shrug their shoulders and occasionally frown in sympathy for students with Macs. But they never have a solution other than, "Get Windows." So...yep._________________"It's not about the legacy you leave, it's about the life you live." ~Mara Jade Skywalker

Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 8:32 am

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ReepicheepMaster

Joined: 05 Feb 2008Posts: 7925Location: Sailing into the unknown

My sister had some important things saved on her memory stick and it decided to stop working. The message says that Windows cannot recognize the stick and that it has become 'corrupted'.

Anyone know what this means or if there is any way of getting the files off the stick?_________________
Where sky and water meet,
Where the waves grow sweet,
Doubt not, Reepicheep,
To find all you seek,
There is the utter east.

Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 11:10 am

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Mara Jade SkywalkerAdministrator

Joined: 15 Feb 2008Posts: 6359Location: Beyond Shadows

Well...there are tools that can read a corrupted hard drive, but I've never heard of anything for a memory stick. One thing you can do is blame the computer and try several others. If you continue to get the message, then I would worry. I've never had to work with a truly corrupted stick before, so I'm afraid I wouldn't know what to tell you beyond that point. I hope it's just the computer being grumpy.

Edit: Try this out, though. I use this method for hard drives, and it can be very helpful, depending on the situation.

_________________"It's not about the legacy you leave, it's about the life you live." ~Mara Jade Skywalker

Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 11:30 am

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ReepicheepMaster

Joined: 05 Feb 2008Posts: 7925Location: Sailing into the unknown

I'll show it to her. Thanks Mara. _________________
Where sky and water meet,
Where the waves grow sweet,
Doubt not, Reepicheep,
To find all you seek,
There is the utter east.

Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 6:06 am

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Alan Skywalker VMaster

Joined: 10 Apr 2011Posts: 661

The only thing I dislike about my laptop is an annoying tendency for the mouse to click where I don't want it to.

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 1:38 pm

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Darth SkuldrenModerator

Joined: 04 Feb 2008Posts: 6953Location: Missouri

So Firefox 6.0 came out last month (August 16, 2011). Guess what came out today? Firefox 7. Now if you're like me and upgraded to 6, I'm willing to bet you realized just like I did that 6 sucks.

Will 7 be any better?

If anyone tries it, let me know. For now I'm sticking with Chrome._________________
"I believe toys resonate with us as humans, we can hold them, it's tactile, real! They are totems for our extended beliefs and imaginations. A fetish for ideas that hold as much interest and passion as old religious relics for some. We display them in our homes. They show who we are. They are signals for similar thinking people. A way we connect with each other...and I guess thats why I do toys. That connection." -Ashley Wood

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2011 10:51 am

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Salaris VornModerator

Joined: 02 Feb 2008Posts: 2373Location: New York, USA

Alan Skywalker V wrote:

The only thing I dislike about my laptop is an annoying tendency for the mouse to click where I don't want it to.

That sometimes happens to me when I'm typing really fast, usually late at night and part of my hand slips onto the touch pad. Perhaps a similar problem for you?

As for me I have a question about portable/external hard drives. Mainly because I realized it would really suck to have my laptop have a malfunction and loose work on my thesis. Now there is no pressing need right now to get one as I'm still in the research mode but I figure it is better to get one in preparation than to put it off too long.

At any rate my questions are:
1) would be are there any recommendations in terms of companies to look at/not look at? My laptop has about a 300 GB hard drive so I'm probably going to be looking at the 500-750 GB size hard drives if that influences company selection (though if I spot a great deal on a 1TB I'd go for that).

2) given that this would be mainly to back up data rather than being used to carry around the extra stuff that doesn't fit on the laptop is there a reason to buy a portable hard drive over just an external hard drive? (I assume a regular external hard drive is more bulky than a portable one but also might be a little cheaper)._________________

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2011 11:06 am

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Luke92Knight

Joined: 19 May 2011Posts: 367Location: England

Have a look at SeaGate or Western Digital. That's where I got both of mine from. Go with a 1TB, they're cheap enough, it's about £60 if that for a 1TB SeaGate._________________Hear me now
Words I vow
No f****** regrets
F*** these chains
No damn slave
I will be different!

Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2011 12:45 pm

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Darth SkuldrenModerator

Joined: 04 Feb 2008Posts: 6953Location: Missouri

Although the Kindle Fire stole the headlines, did anyone else noticed the drop in the price for the basic Kindle? Only $79, pretty cheap if you don't have an e-reader yet._________________
"I believe toys resonate with us as humans, we can hold them, it's tactile, real! They are totems for our extended beliefs and imaginations. A fetish for ideas that hold as much interest and passion as old religious relics for some. We display them in our homes. They show who we are. They are signals for similar thinking people. A way we connect with each other...and I guess thats why I do toys. That connection." -Ashley Wood

Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 11:08 pm

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Mara Jade SkywalkerAdministrator

Joined: 15 Feb 2008Posts: 6359Location: Beyond Shadows

Salaris Vorn wrote:

At any rate my questions are:
1) would be are there any recommendations in terms of companies to look at/not look at? My laptop has about a 300 GB hard drive so I'm probably going to be looking at the 500-750 GB size hard drives if that influences company selection (though if I spot a great deal on a 1TB I'd go for that).

2) given that this would be mainly to back up data rather than being used to carry around the extra stuff that doesn't fit on the laptop is there a reason to buy a portable hard drive over just an external hard drive? (I assume a regular external hard drive is more bulky than a portable one but also might be a little cheaper).

Ah, just the type of question I like to answer! Well...my personal favorites for portable externals are Toshibas. Own two, and have never had a problem out of either. I have a 320GB that cost me $100 a few years ago, and a 1TB that cost me the same only recently.

Seeing as you're only looking to back up data, I would probably trade portability for price, seeing as the non-portables are considerably cheaper. It's not just that they're bulky, though, but that they have to have an external power source. So if you did want to carry it somewhere, you'd need to be able to plug it in. The portable drives run on USB power, so seeing as I carry mine absolutely everwhere, I have to go with those.

But anyway...! Luke92 was right about SeaGate and WesternDigital for non-portables. I would only recommend Toshiba for portables, though. Only because I hear bad things about some of the other brands there. But I'm sure there are lemons in every bunch.

As for size...a 1TB should be perfectly affordable and your best bet for a non-portable. For a portable, then your initial idea is perfect: 500-750GB.

Hope that helps in your choice! Oh, and I always recommend backing up your data fully at regular intervals. To lose it is sadness. But remember, if a computer dies, your data is rarely lost! It is the most popular misconception where computers are concerned. 98% of the time, the data is recoverable. So don't give up if such a thing occurs! There are almost always ways to get it back. _________________"It's not about the legacy you leave, it's about the life you live." ~Mara Jade Skywalker

Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 4:30 pm

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Salaris VornModerator

Joined: 02 Feb 2008Posts: 2373Location: New York, USA

Thanks for the feed back Luke92 and Mara! My research got put on pause the last two weeks studying for a rather intimidating exam on the human skull but (hopefully) I can do some serious looking around this week. I'll definitely focus my search on what the offerings are with Seagate, Western Digital and Toshiba, hopefully I'll be able to score a nice deal.

And thanks Mara for the encouragement that most data can be recovered even if the computer goes screwy, its good to know there are computer experts out there (like yourself) who know how to retrieve such valuable data!_________________

Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 12:01 pm

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Darth SkuldrenModerator

Joined: 04 Feb 2008Posts: 6953Location: Missouri

Well Firefox 7 sucks too. I'm now getting rid of these fancy new FF's and I'm rolling back to good old 5._________________
"I believe toys resonate with us as humans, we can hold them, it's tactile, real! They are totems for our extended beliefs and imaginations. A fetish for ideas that hold as much interest and passion as old religious relics for some. We display them in our homes. They show who we are. They are signals for similar thinking people. A way we connect with each other...and I guess thats why I do toys. That connection." -Ashley Wood